SahashraLA

Assassin's Creed 3. Infamous Second Son. There are ways to represent native Americans without making them a caricature of themselves. In Japan, they never had this issue. They were never really colonized so alot of devs don't get that this is a sensitive issue. It is alot bigger of a deal than most think it is, and coming from Canada where native Canadians are constantly discriminated against, I'm happy they're taking this out. The fact is, they weren't representing native Americans in the first place.

An incredibly niche game on the slowest selling mainstream console in 15 years. Further evidence that, yeah, Nintendo pooched the Wii U with its stupidly cheap CPU. In comparison, even the PS3 and 360 dwarf its lacklustre performance. Going back to slow sales though: why optimize a game when no one is buying enough games to warrant the effort? It's funny to me, just how fast Nintendo fanboys get defensive about their terribly spec'd systems, and turn theor praise to scorn at the drop of a hat.

On further reflection, perhaps partnering woth Sega would have been smart here. A half dozen more characters, 3-4 new venues and better online would surely have resulted. Ultimately, Mario anything needs to deliver solid solo play. This isn't it.

I myself am a pretty big sports fan. My decision to leave Nintendo was their absence and lack of 3rd party content. That being said, I think Camelot should have stuck to the RPG format. Maybe this could be like Smash, MK8 or Wii U Sports and have a selection of DLC. Ultimately, I'd have supported Camelot remastering the Golden Sun games for Wii U (a game series that could utilize the touch screen well) or simply finish the story with a 4th entry on 3DS. A missed opportunity on all fronts.

@akaDv8R Nintendo making another home console is asking to lose money. Their devs struggle with 360 fidelity, how much is a new box going to change?
Open question: can Nintendo do enough with the 'NX' to truly win back 3rd party developers?
It has become painfully obvious that the next level of visual fidelity and processing power would be entirely lost on Nintendo's first party efforts.
Monolith, Retro, Level 5, they could do some damage on the PS4. I can't say the same for the main branch. Not after seeing the ways Nintendo straight up handicaps themselves.

Great for fan service, terrible for literally everything else. The more games and systems PS4 sells in Japan, the faster we get imports. Which is great, seeing as the Wii U in Japan has been on fumes for 4 months.

It's a fun game for 10$, but EOU2 is so stupidly overpriced. At 50$ Canadian, it's pushing physical copy, special edition territory.
Such a joke to spend that kind of money on a portable digital game. LoL, Stella Glow and Hatsune Miku are almost worse (no free DLC) but they are also, you know, new games.

A powerful system, built for graphics has a host of gorgeously detailed games. Surprise.
A 4 year old system, built cheaply for playing games looks outdated. Another surprise.
10 years from now, people may love Star Fox Zero and turn their nose on the highly detailed games.
It's a pro and a con about graphics wars: art style is usually forsaken for the current cutting edge.
And when it's not cutting edge anymore, it shows. Wind Waker and Tearaway seem like the kind of games to endure. Goldeneye, not so much.

Amano in the art book and a 20 song Sekito soundtrack? I'd drop 30$ right there, so I'll be picking this up and trading the game in to EB Games (considering the date, I'll be putting that towards a ME: Catalyst or Uncharted 4 preorder).

DQ8 localized was pretty cool, but Cloud's special cutting the stage in half? Like E3, SE owned this. Despite the fact we know they did nothing themselves.. I'm thinking these games will be digital only and just 30$ (cheaper than the Etrian remasters) BUT SE will shock everyone with a 65-75$ special edition of both titles in one physical box. Hopefully with an art book.
I'm also thinking we're going to be getting quite a few DQ VC games (and some FF ones too).

@Chaotic_Eevee funny, cause the remake is only a timed exclusive. Confirmed for XB1 already. Like Rise of the Tomb Raider. Like it's been said, there's no business in lifetime exclusivity anymore. If Nintendo hadn't helped with Bayo 2, you'd be seeing it elsewhere about now.

Namco. Capcom. Nintendo. Square. Sega. Konami. I don't get why ANYONE is shocked that a Japanese dev's character is in this. They're the only major, and the oldest, NOT to support Smash. Not sure if people have been paying attention, but SE hasn't been exclusive since 13 debuted. And now everything is multi platform. Looks like Nintendo's trying to repair relations with Square and sell some systems, but please, continue to be shallow and elitist. It works nicely for all the core fans.

I think it'd be best to hold reserved expectations. I don't see Nintendo having taken any risks since before the Wii U launched. The shareholders run the show now and I can only sadly assume that 2016 will be Miyamoto's last making games.
It's been fun speculating about the new Direct, I hope Nintendo fans can find something fun to take from it. I'll just be over here, enjoying Witcher 3, SAO and Poncho

Oh and Contra 3 EX also eliminates the overhead stages that were present in the SNES version. So it's just side scrolling (which means the only really unique stage is the Alien ship fight that scrolls left and right).

For the same price Stella Glow goes for here in Canada, I was able to pay off my SAO: Lost Song preorder. 70$ digitally for a portable title? Save yourselves the hassle and get a boxed copy with all the bells and whistles for the same price.

My previous thoughts seem null when concerning the NX and this is why:
Instead of a combo system where the base does one thing, the handheld does another and the two work together to push the envelope, I am leaning now in a much different direction.
Consider this possibility:
Nintendo can't compete with the PS4 / XB1.
3 years just isn't going to be enough time to convince people that those systems are outmoded.
And frankly, future improvements are miniscule at best.
You can improve load times, frame rates and textures, but a lot of that still comes down to a competent dev, one thing that can be easily remedied with time and experience.
The entire industry is looking for a reboot and my idea (something I see Nintendo implementing) could just be that necessary idea.
One major (yet insubstantial) issue with the Wii U is that the Gamepad was mandatory, no?
That the majority of devs see and saw it as unnecessary and cumbersome, yes?
What if the Gamepad was better made, more easily accessible and truly innovative? As in, what if the Gamepad was the all-in-one, be all end all, without the need for a TV OR a base station?
I'm talking, (graphically) the step up from the Vita, systematically the follow-up to the 3DS (New and original alike) and the culmination in all the Wii U's best ideas.
A handheld console in the truest sense with one MASSIVE difference: plug and play with any display device and multiplayer with any other NX system.
Imagine it, if you will: connecting multiple systems to a single hub and combining local and online multiplayer on a single stage.
Forfeiting the restrictions and locks of the past to truly open the doors for
asynchronous play, with 1 or 1 million unique players.
Mobile games are very succinct, individual and isolated experiences (with or without multiplayer). The one thing they lack is depth, with no real connectivity between players. The player has become a series of codes and while social media provides a bridge between gamers, the expanse is still immense.
Nintendo, more than anyone else, brings people under the same roof together in various gaming arenas. With titles like Splatoon, Mario Maker, and (from what I've seen and played) Xenoblade X, Nintendo is finally branching out beyond the living room.
Why not combine the two?
With that kind of option driving the next gen Nintendo system forward, the NX could really be what gaming needs: fluidity, when all around is solidity and rigidity.
With all that said, I wish Nintendo and their fans all the best moving forward. I hope that those loyal supporters will find hope and optimism alike. And if nothing else, try something new and find what makes you happy.
Thanks Nintendo Life, for being so entertaining and so brutally honest.
It will be remembered fondly, I can assure you of that.
It has been a rather chaotic 2 years and now, looking back, I can honestly say it was time well spent.
Even if my views and opinions were not always the easiest to hear (or read, sorry I'm so unable to break from my literary background and 'ease up') no one was ever unbearable.
I'll always know where to go for a 3DS review and I'll probably check things out once the NX is shown, but this will be the last post.
Take care everyone and game on!

This whole article sounds sweet and hopeful and promising, but it fails entirely on the weight of the last few lines.
The problem isn't the price.
The problem is, the Wii U DOESN"T deserve better.
The games deserve better.
The customers deserve better.
The shareholders deserve better.
But the Wii U itself?
Everything about the system was bargin bin to begin with:
RAM, HDD, GPU, CPU, propritary media WITHOUT the media players the competitors feature, USB 2.0, unpowered USB ports, no Ethernet, a vastly inferior control scheme and a dramatically inferior marketplace, replete with archaic and benign hardware locking and restrictions.
The Wii U was what Nintendo THOUGHT gaming was going.
8 > 16 > 32 > 64 > 128 > 256 > 512 > 1
So Nintendo doubled the RAM of the PS3 / 360. So they made the optical drive a faster, more efficient unit.
Aside from those two instances and Miiverse (which I insist is a colossal failure) Nintendo literally did nothing for the Wii U.
It was bargin bin from the word go.
Not because Nintendo wanted it to be bargin bin, but because, unlike their rivals, Nintendo doesn't have open access to high end PC products.
Maybe a hybrid console would work for Nintendo.
I don't see those PC-console hybrids working too poorly for Sony and Microsoft.

The regular enemies seem to be scaled for higher level characters and the bosses stationary, which basically meant either killing it until a boss or struggling (depending on how the RNG stats propagated). And then having the boss utilize a host of party clearing techs and once again going up against the gauntlet of normal enemies in order to try and garner enough gold to purchase the best items and weapons.
It's pretty clear which parties work well with this game and which are horrible ideas to even attempt (before considerably leveling those parties and characters, of course).
The skills are smart and much more realistic than magic.
The trading ships are the best inclusion and a near perfect use of StreetPass.
But the heavy focus on NG+ and a lack of any real customization sets the game back a few years.
I get the old school focus, but it's a little bit too Etrian Odyssey and a could really have used a few DQ3-6 touches here and there.

Don't stop know guys!
Keep Sappopouring it on!
It's not often we see Nintendo so thoroughly Kobeating their competition.
(That being said, in anticipation of Ys on PS4, I'll be picking up a PS4 on Monday)

@liveswired
I find it funny that @NL doesn't warn you for advocating people use illegal emulation.
Since it is, you know, ILLEGAL.
Buy hey, just because law enforcement has better things to do than jail you for stealing 15 year old Pokemon games means it's totally cool to justify theft. Aside from the fact that emulators were created for shareware and fan made sequels and prequels to games that otherwise didn't receive them.
Like the Mother 3 english translation or a fanslated copy of Langrisser (pretty specific, I know).
Not so people could copy the games to the Internet and ship them off to people too cheap to pay to game.
It's ridiculous to me that someone could be so entirely uneducated about BOTH the ineffectiveness of mobile devices to properly play classic games (the controls are and always will be horrible) and the cost of actually porting over these media.
It's painfully obvious you're unaware that for every new market, Nintendo (and Sony and Microsoft and Steam and whoever else) needs to port the game over again. Meaning new ESRB submission, new PEGI rating, new USK rating, new Cero rating, etc.. to the point of near complete financial waste.
But hey, convince 1000 of your closest friends to BUY the games and then you'd see them out and cheaper.
You won't, I know that much for sure.
You're the type that refuses to understand, because it dwarfs his own intellect so entirely, it doesn't make sense to try and so you default to 'external means' to satisfy your desires and lambaste those around you for doing the same.
This announcement is on US.
Not Nintendo.
On US.
3rd parties complained about high prices on the Wii and hey, look, SEnix is selling DQ8 on Android for 25$.
That's just 10$ more than what they wanted to charge for Chrono Trigger. Think about that before you smash Nintendo for 'high prices'.

It's funny the rain that has been coming down on Nintendo for these sorts of decisions, when it has been plain news that fewer than 10 games released on the Wii (outside first party titles) exceeded sales parameters. As in, most games published to the VC on the Wii did so to an eventual loss.
Natsume, elsewhere on the Internet (I think it was Go Nintendo, actually) confirms that most VC titles still take around 1000$ / region to port over, not including staff or marketing. Consider then that, if 8 seperate regions got the game, 1600 copies would need to be sold to break even. 1700 if we include staff and marketing costs. It's as if people assume Apple does any of the work with iTunes or Google populates the Play store on their own.
It's nothing similar.
Outisde companies create the content and pay for it to be on those services. And most artists on iTunes still lose money.
Nintendo's not putting out the games you're not buying anyways? What a shock.
Maybe this means they'll actually start re-releasing those GBA games, you know, now that they've done the work for Wii U anyways..

Gamers are buying $500 graphics cards.
Casual gamers (adopted from the Wii) are buying pre-price cut PS4s, 100k at a time.
The Wii U needs a price cut?
No.
The Wii U NEEDED (as in past tense, but still relevant today):

• built in Ethernet
• Blu-ray (spending over a million to make their own disc and hiring someone to custom make a drive was idiotic then and now)
• better audio support, better HDD options, powered USB ports, USB 3.0 (it was a better option in 2012 too)
• better battery, screen (impact resistant, scratch resistant, higher resolution) for the Gamepad
• faster, more adaptable processor, separate video processing
  and a little thing that NL readers like to complain about, namely user accounts

On the financial side of things, they needed 3rd party support (throwing their hat in with EA was a great way to anger companies like 2K), better marketing and a more aggressive retail presence.
All of which Sony does 100% better.
Which is why a price cut helps Sony and does nothing for Nintendo.
Sony has marketed the PS4 in such a way that, gamers anticipate upcoming releases. They talk about them with their friends. They pre-order. They pre-purchase DLC. They attend midnight launches. They buy season passes. They might even buy a second, limited edition console and store it away as a spare.
Nintendo doesn't have that kind of audience.
Honestly speaking, they never have.
The N64 didn't have it, the GC didn't have it.
The SNES was the follow-up to the NES, the system that saved gaming. So that was enough.
The Wii had motion control. That was new. But once people played it once, there was never any incentive to go back. It was one or two games that literally everyone played and then forgot about.
It was relatively cheap but it was a puff of smoke.
Once the moment passed, it might as well have never happened.
And Nintendo acts as if that moment was this massive revolution and their entire mindset has been driven by that ever since.
There is no 'Oh wow' for the Wii U. Everything inventive had already been done before.
So, Nintendo tried to help us forget the Gamepad exists and work around it as often as they possibly can, which sounds (and is) painfully stupid.
Sony gets it. Gamers aren't complicated. They aren't even bogged down by price. They just want a tiny little break every now and then so they can choose Destiny AND Uncharted, instead of picking one or the other.
With the Wii U, there are so few games, no one is sacrificing one game to play another. That was Sony's issue and now, problem solved.
But hey, if Nintendo suddenly finds themselves amidst awash of fantastically fresh titles, then maybe a price cut would help.
But without outstanding new software to sell on a consistent basis, who cares anyways?

@Damo
Your point about the number of hardware revisions and years spent in the marketplace are fair points, for sure (despite new hardware schemes being available for dozens of PS4 and XB1 games (like the White Destiny PS4) and countless bundles).
But if we look closer at the numbers @cbkummer posted, we'll note that the 3DS equals all 3 other systems COMBINED. Talk about PS4 and XB1 selling like hotcakes but it's pretty obvious, particularly when looking at Sony's home country, where the real power tool resides.
The fact is simply this: handhelds use less power, cost less than a system and don't require an external display.
Let's compare:
3DS with Mario or Zelda. 200$ for the system. 40$ for the game.
240$.
Wii U With Mario or Zelda. 300$ for the system. 60$ for the game.
360$ PLUS 200$-20000$ for a TV.
PS4 with Destiny. 400$ for the system. 70$ for the game. (Bundled at 450$)
450$-470$ and again, plus 200$-20000$.
I add the TVs because, as we heard a few months back, the majority of Wii owners have chosen the PS4, so they'd likely have to buy a new TV to maximize their experience.
Let's forget the TV (which makes the argument easier for people who belittle handhelds) and focus on the DS numbers. Which, if you remember, DS games are ALL playable on the 3DS, as soon as the system is purchased. From launch. As is ALL DSi software. No 3 year wait for backwards compatibility.
And I guess that's where a lot of the issues stem from.
Vita predated every system in that listing and still undersold each one.
Including the Wii U, a system that most of Nintendo's greatest detractors say is a signal they need to retire from the hardware business.
The Vita is a flop.
A flop AFTER Sony abandoned the PSP's UMD for digital only. A flop AFTER the PSP released their own 'double the specs' revisions on the PSP. A flop AFTER they slashed the price dramatically by removing the system's best feature and transferring it's guts to a console like base station that has also flopped quite stupendously.
Nintendo over marked the 3DS. They quickly took it down, offered some worthwhile incentives to early adaptors and have proceeded to outsell every other competitor, 2, 3 and 4 times over.
Is it as popular as the DS line? No.
But the DS line had a DS, DS Lite, DSi, and a DSi XL, all of which featured numerous colors, multiple bundles, first time features (a gaming portable with a built in camera, touch screens and two screens) and backward compatibility for the first generation.
5 years ago, the 3DS was a competitive gaming machine. 5 years.
Now, consider this.
In 8 months, a mobile phone company can put out the next 'new' iPhone and people pay 500$ and up for it, a million people at a time.
But with touchscreens, we will NOT see as end to dedicated mobile gaming.
The fact of the matter is, control DOES matter.
a 4K 5'' device is a novelty.
When you use something like that, 1-15 hours a day, that novelty wears off.
And though touch is becoming more advanced, the tactile response is still 4-6 years away from being nominal. As in, you can't properly control your car's AC or the volume knob or the station knob without a tactile response.
And no matter what anyone says, the substitute for this necessary feedback isn't here yet. When you can SEE what you're doing, it makes sense.
But for as long as controllers exist, so will a desire to have proper physical controls. Your Android phone just doesn't have that and Apple isn't even close. Look at the new Apple TV for any better idea that, yes, gamers want a controller.

Like buying Earthbound for 1000$ on eBay AFTER it hit the eShop, because anything limited is worth it, right?
Then again, I'm sure 10x as many people would be able to justify that (paying 20x what the game originally sold for) vs this.
Bearing in mind, they licensed it from Nintendo. Paid for an artist to design it (and likely another to sculpt it) and a specialty moulding and paint to manufacture it (not cheap labour either).
Is it worth the money? Likely. Is it something people would want? Definitely, as it's sold out.
Would I spend 400$ on it? Not on my current income.

'This will be the last real console cycle'
'They will make one more console'
So then, based on the same interview, the NEXT cycle is the last.
But not really.
It will be one of those notorious fake cycles.
That has real consoles.
But Pachter doesn't acknowledge.
Right.
He's an idiot.
And he's an idiot for one simple fact: those sorts of systems don't have any advantages or perks for devs. The current lot has copy protection. Infinitely better controllers. And the specs aren't even comparable.
The thing is, the next console cycle will be the last, because that's how long it will take for the Ouyas and the Fire TV HDs of the world to catch up to consoles.
The only thing they need is a support staff (in house or 3rd party) to legitimize the venture and as of now, THAT is what's missing.
When you compare DQ8 on PS2, mobile and the 3DS, there is no comparison. The PS2 version is still vastly superior and the mobile version is still vastly inferior. Until the EXPERIENCE is better, consoles and dedicated gaming devices will always have a market.

@B64111980 Boy..?
26 years of gaming experience and I'm supposed to endure the ignorance of people like you, for not being smart enough to take off the rose colored glasses and see the writing on the wall?
I said what I said because I KNOW there are better devs than Ubisoft that could have made a game like ZombiU, look as good as ZombiU and they could have had it running on the PS2.
If you think the game looks GOOD for a PS3 / 360 / Wii U game, maybe you need YOUR eyes checked BOY.

Click bait..?
No mentions of other niche games (NA doesn't have Devil's Third, Yoshi's Wooly World or Fatal Frame yet and SMM and Skylanders w/ Nintendo characters just launched) or acknowledgement that the only Star Fox to sell marginally well was SF64, and then only because it was 'the Rumblepak' game.
The facts are there. Aside from that game, every game in the series has tanked, whether to advertising or gamer apathy.
The best one (the first one) I refuse to play, personally, because the controls are horrible. As is every in house developed non-platformer Nintendo makes.
They don't know camera controls, they don't know how to get consistent physics and they are entirely out of touch with the modern gamer.
Whether hardcore or casual, whining about an article with this topic is ludicrous, particularly after the majority consensus at E3 was Zero is a massive disappointment.
If delaying this garbage makes it a genuinely engaging and memorable experience, why encourage the present mediocrity?

In a game that has: no character development, no real plot, no real story, no sense of accomplishment, no rewarding ending, no gripping music, a phoned-in excuse for a strategic FPS (heavy emphasis on the strategic part) and visuals that looked like a late gen PS2 game, ZombiU's best moments came from the Gamepad integration, until the experience became so immersion breaking that it was less fun, more frustrating, less dynamic, more of a dud.
Which is probably why it's such a 'strong experience': it only serves to remind us that while the Wii U had potential, it flopped and flopped often.

Bad week, can't be, right?
Those of us who are just 'flies in the ointment' are totally off base, yeah?
2 weeks ago, Dragon Quest 8 launches on the 3DS.
That week, the top 3 hardware units combined for 69k sales.
The top 5 software units combined for 732k sales.
Last week, MGS:V launches on the PS3 and PS4.
That week, top 3 hardware was at 92k sales.
Top 5 software was at 595k sales.
This week, Super Mario Maker launches for the Wii U.
The top 3 hardware are at 61k sales (just below the top 3 during DQVIII's launch).
Top 5 software is at 320k, or 275k short of last week and 412k short of 2 weeks ago.
To reiterate, having the best numbers in the lowest point over the last month isn't really something to brag about. Particularly when other software launches on other platforms and outsells your top performers 2, 3 and 4 to one.
(For reference and clarity)

I hate being that guy again..
But 140k is good in anyone's book?
The fact Nintendo put out 2 bundles and created 2 amiibo for this, the supposed celebration of 30 years of Mario and anyone is happy with 140k sales?
The hardware is even more pathetic.
20k systems sold and people are jumping for joy?
55k for the PS4 last week and there's people with straight faces that are actually happy about this??
I'm sorry, but this was a terrible week for sales in Japan (probably 60% lower than anticipated) and you need look no further than a new MH game (spin-off or not) selling less than 60k copies on a portable.
If this is the best the Wii U is going to do, you might as well kill it off now.
If your 2nd biggest game of the year can't help boost hardware to number 1, there's not much point to it anymore, is there?
Devil's Third flopped, Xenoblade Chronicles was dismal at best and did nothing for hardware, Fatal Frame flopped, Splatoon has been pretty good and now SMM has come in well below expectations (and if not, Nintendo needs to re-evaluate their business model, 'cause with Mario, 140k is a flop).
Stick a fork in 2015, Nintendo's done.

Hopefully, the WAY you play the game is what influences the time differences.
Rewarding someone for jumping straight into crazy, over the top levels without truly getting even the slightest taste for good design is idiotic.
The system was set up to ensure that better levels would come out of the community and this step is guaranteeing that heaps of terrible designs will emerge.
Then again, I never expected too much from a community who turned Zelda and Smash into user bashing, friend exchange forms and general b****ing.
People have an app so they can Twitter on their garbage phones at school, I'm shocked Nintendo ever though making those kinds of people (Nintendo fans) wait would ever have worked out.
Call them Dr. Kevorkian, 'cause there's nothing but dead patience.

For 2nd week numbers, 106k and 3rd place seems like a pretty good result, considering the newness of the competition (and the fact the Kojima is done doesn't hurt the game's sales either).
How long has it been since a game sold over a hundred thousand copies and still hit just 3rd place??
It's got to have been a while.

I'd ape a heist movie (as the first aped a western).
Fistful of blood, fistful of dollars.
But those aren't really traditional taglines.
They're just pulling off another property.
A tagline is a quick little quip that makes use of the existing title.
Like, for example: a metaphor about digging or an allusion to digging or directly mentioning digging. (as in the first game).

'What are you going to buy first' would definitely be a smarter title for the poll.
I probably would have went for Mario Maker digital (as I had had all the Mario games digitally aside from Party 10 when I got rid of my Wii U) but Mirai DX is actually quite challenging, controls nicely and is a lot of fun.
It's definitely overtly Japanese, but it makes games like Guitar Hero and Theatrhythm look like child's play at times.
Anyone who doubts that statement should try the demo.
Button mode, hard, LoL.
That's all I have to say about that.

On topic, I much prefer the fully realized characters in this game than the previous iterations` pixel sprites. The backgrounds lack a bit of the Shantae charm, but coupling the action with the crisper, clearer, better animated characters makes for a much more immersive experience. In my opinion, this game still bests the games that came before it and what few flaws and faults I could find in the prebuild can be easily remedied by a coat of polish.

Even in most of the examples given, it`s not like in video games. A video game is not a living, breathing collection of vulnerable human beings. It is data, a compiling of effort, yes, but it is just numbers and code at the end of the day. With many indie bands, the issue of foreign distribution often comes down to the band (or the band`s agent). A game won`t ask to be distributed to a foreign market, the developer has to do that themselves.
And while we see indies petitioning majors for these sorts of distro deals, a major can also become aware and interested and offer those sorts of services themselves.
Anyone who followed Shovel Knight`s road to release can attest to the fact that sometimes, it would be extremely helpful to have a major label`s support but from the devs perspective, it can be all the more satisfying to do it yourself.

@shredmeister
To clarify the 'indie' 'major' debate, major is (in any sense) when a first party proponent of a major label / studio creates the IP (intellectual property).
Fox creates the Simpsons.
Hence, the Simpsons are a major studio production.
Now, if a dozen guys in their basement made the Simpsons and Fox showed it on their channel, then it would be an indie studio production.
Production is what should determine label, not distribution.
In the case of the GBC game, a major had to distribute the game.
It would have been impossible otherwise.
Until the Wii / DSi, indies were locked out of Nintendo's systems.
Sony never opened things up until the PSP started the digital gaming distribution craze and then.. distribution comes up once more.
There are so many tiny indie record labels that found legitimacy and substance by starting out as distributors and some stayed that way.
Capcom had a nice little streak where they incorporated new and diverse ideas and helped smaller studios find their way forward (pun intended).
It's almost like a 2nd party partnership, but with a developer and not a hardware manufacturer.
And I'm certain that Capcom isn't the only one who does it.
Note: this is nowhere near the same as EA / Bioware. That is a partnership born of a business deal that merged the two entities. What Capcom and WayForward have done in the past is a licensing and distribution deal.
NOW, with Ducktales, the developer may have been indie, but the property was of a major studio and Capcom provided budget supplementation (received partly from Disney themselves). In that case though, WF was simply outsourced by a major studio.
I'd say that any band that is still signed to a major label is a major label band, any band signed to an indie label is still an indie label band. Regardless of history or past success. The term 'indie band' is a bit misleading, as it could refer to any given aspect of the band's outlook but often does not refer to the band's position in the industry. For me, an indie label is any label that requires an outside source for ANY aspect of distribution, outside of it`s home demographic.
(EG: a US based label that wants to distribute in Canada and goes to (say) Warner. Or, a UK label that wants to distribute Internationally and goes to (say) Sony Music Entertainment, formerly Sony BMG. Even with iTunes, certain pieces aren`t available in all territories and that`s due to Apple following this rather dated process of localisation and distribution. In all reality, it`s simply following the physical standards and policies set for corresponding physical media)

Make it 110 minutes long, cut some unnecessary sap and make it one film. I just have the idea in my head to establish the Blue Bomber as a force without the X armor before introducing the villains that make it a necessary upgrade.
A free roaming Mega Man game (think big, like Mario 64 big) with better platforming, a great camera, solid controls, crisp anime style graphics (Mega Man done in the style of Hard Corps Uprising would be fantastic too) and a mix of new and remixed music.
It makes it seem like it would be upper Japanese-y but remember that Mega Man has ALWAYS been rendered in anime style graphics (except by idiotic Western artists..).

The dream:
3 films by the previously mentioned Reel FX / Indian Paintbrush squad.
Introduce Wily and Light as up and coming scientists, have some crazy accident splinter their relationship. Advance 20 years and Wily is building a robotic army. Humanity has been reduced to a few million and Light unleashes Mega Man.
He wins against Zero, but is badly hurt. End first film.
Vile assembles Wily's stragglers 'from the shadows' and assembles them against the humans. Mega Man loses to Vile and disappears. Zero saves the day, but is outmatched. Wily is critically injured during a robot uprising (with Vile finally emerging) and uploads his consciousness into a prototype Sigma. Sigma has his own 'spark' and ends up overpowering Wily to challenge Vile for leadership of the robots.
Now called Reploids (as they can fix and create new soldiers without human assistance) Vile's forces stand-off against Sigma's. Zero sets off to fight against them but is overpowered. Mega Man saves the day at the last minute, revealing his new X armor. There's a brief victory where the good guys drive off the bad guys (due to the bad guys not co-operating).
The third film starts in a peaceful time, but the Reploids emerge with a vengeance. Sigma defeats Vile in single combat and the latter pledges his support. A final battle arrives with Zero dying at Vile's hands (Vile also dies during this battle) before passing his Z-Saber to Mega Man, who uses a powered up version of the famous beam sword to defeat Sigma once and for all.
Now, I'm obviously no screenwriter, but that's how I would like for the story to play out, should a movie be released at all.
I can only imagine the kind of art style those two companies could come up with for a project like this and the amount of enemies they would have access to (Shadow Man is really my only must, though there are plenty of options to choose from).

If Fox were to get, say, the same people that did either the Book of Life (Reel FX seems the most likely choice) or a combination of multiple studios (Fantastic Mr. Fox's pairing of Indian Paintbrush and Reel FX was smart) it could be quite entertaining.
Licensed properties have been doing better (Superman in the upcoming VS film, Batman's Nolan trilogy, Webb bringing legitimacy back to Spider-Man, Marvel's handling of their cinematic properties and Lego's rather successful Lego Movie are all a testament to the shift in Hollywood film adaptations) it just takes the right director and an inspired cast.
Mega Man absolutely deserves to be animated (the property doesn't suit live action and no one wants to see another Tekken or Street Fighter come of this.
My money is on Reel FX (who is huge after The Book of Life) re-teaming with Indian Paintbrush for character modelling and backgrounds.
I'd like to see Inafune brought in as a special advisor, but with MNo9 and Red Ash failing so spectacularly, I'd be happy with that not happening too. At least Capcom had the guts to go back to film after how terrible Street Fighter was (the anime was actually pretty decent, but every one of the films have been horrid. I watched the Legend of Chun-Li as it showed up in the local video store a few months after Michael Clarke Duncans' death; it too was a disastrous effort. Don't get me started on the KoF film either..)

Whether the Great Ace Attorney is localised or not (I'm honestly not counting on it, as the first games have all been reinterpreted to take place stateside, for whatever reason. From what I've seen of the GAA, that's not really an option.
I'd like for the 3 side story games to be released as a 2nd trilogy games (the Edgeworth games with enhanced visuals and gameplay would be a dream) more than the GAA.
Most anticipated game, Ace Attorney 6. And please Capcom, come up with a proper subtitle.(Like Ace Attorney: the Wright Rite. Or Ace Attorney: Wrighting Wrongs. Grammatically improper? Overlook it and I'll take you for some noodles. I know a place..)

Half a million?
Nah, these are just physical sales.
The game probably did closer to 700 thousand.
Even as Media Create is, DQ8 sold more than every other game in the chart combined.
That's pretty crazy.
Like how the PS4 had a decent increase, because they got 3 new SKUs.
Vs the Wii U getting a small increase with NOTHING.
(I'm trying to say, I think this is where the PS4 tops out until a big Japanese title hits the market)

System transfers.
Again, beating a dead horse, but when I wanted to upgrade from a PSP 1000 to a 3000, I had to deactivate the system first.
Sounds easy, when you have the system, yeah?
PSP actually IS easy that way. It's even pretty easy if you DON'T have the original. But you still can't have 2 PSPs active on one PSN account.
PS3 owners! Hey!
How easy is it to activate a new PS3 if you DON'T have the original?
Anyone?
Impossible?
Congratulations!
4 days spent with a CS rep was the last straw with my last Sony product.
Your system breaks:
'Hey, this is Sony.'
'My PS3 broke and I want to activate a new PS3 and play all my old games.'
'That's easy enough, just log into the old system and deactivate it first.'
'I can't, it's broken.'
'.......................................I can't help you, let me transfer you.'
-3 transfers, 11 different agents, 4 days and close to 7 hours wasted on the phone with CS later-
My original 3DS broke when a drop damaged the video connection. I bought a New 3DS XL to replace it. Do you know how long it took to get the new system up and running for Nintendo's CS??
Anyone?
16 minutes from the first dial. 2 calls, 14 minutes spent on the phone.
Every game accessible.
Now, I get that the PS3 is a console, but that's ridiculous.
It's the sole reason I haven't gone with a PS4 yet.
That and the fact that consoles are so PC and fragile, it's disheartening.
'It's new and it's fun, it'll last and endure, you'll see!'
And they never last, because everything is made to be a cheaply efficient PC without any of the truly valuable features.
handhelds are the path forward. True portability is worth so much more than 100'', 4K deathmatches in dank, dark dungeon like basements with fat slobs who live and breathe gaming, with even the slightest 'injustice' turning their world upside down in such a depressing fashion that you'd overlook the stained pants, the sweat streaked shirt and the protruding gut and want to feel sorry for them. Before you remember that they called your mother every disgusting name under the sun because 2 weeks ago they got shot in the face playing a benign and inconsequential online shooter with a dozen people they've never met, will never meet and yet still find some reason to act like the most despicably homophobic, racist, sexist and bigot in human history.

Officially, I no longer own a Wii U.
It took almost 2 and a half years to finally get rid of it (which is longer than I had either the PS3 or 360) but I'm down to just a New 3DS XL (I'm not 12, sorry bargain bin, faceplate junkies).
I might look at an NX if they can shape up with their hardware / games / release schedules / online strategy, but I've all but separated myself from console gaming.
On the other side, looking at the Nindies line-up here, I'm confident I've made the right decision to abandon the Wii U.
It's clear Nintendo will postpone Zelda to the NX, Xenoblade isn't much of a step beyond the droning first game and Devil's Third is DOA.
Fatal Frame deserved so much better than Koei Tecmo hyper-sexualizing their best property and Yoshi's just another insipid platformer.
I mean, I guess I've seen Nintendo do so much better, even when beating their dead horses. There's no real passion to move things forward, so I've moved on while things are still remotely entertaining.
Thanks for the memories Wii U.
I will hereby remember you as the Dreamcast 2.0.

Not surprising Nintendo's been making (not the biggest, but still considerable) headlines at PAX. I mean, it's basically NOA's backyard and as we know, gas isn't free. Reggie could even have driven himself. He didn't, because 6 years ago, the Wii was still printing money. I'm just saying, he could have.

If not clear, I'm calling out the review system of NL more than Alex himself. He's entitled to his opinion, but a review (a professional review that will be seen by potentially thousands of people) needs to stand in the middle of the pack. That's what objectivity means. As soon as you're off to one side, the scale becomes meaningless. Which is why the old school gaming mags were so great, providing 3-5 reviews from a diverse range of editors and contributors. This is one person's opinion. It's not an accurate representation of how the average gamer is going to view the game. My previous comments chiding Alex focusing on the fan service is directly related to this post. The previous game does have its audience. It sold enough to warrant 3 different physical editions of the title and how often is it that a Nintendo product can say that? The audience is clearly there. So why go out of the way to have Alex review the game?
Why go out of your way to say the game 'adds nothing new' Damo, when the original came out in Japan a considerable time before releasing in the West and the sequel released less than 6 months after the Japanese launch? It's clear there's some burn-out, but clearer that the reviews are considerably skewed in a singular direction. Perhaps, there is the intention in NL itself, to ensure games of this nature do not find release on the 3DS.
I've got a news flash for you Damo: Nintendo is LOSING. Every single day, more and more, Nintendo is losing badly to both of their competitors. Even with the X1 flopping in Japan, Nintendo is still losing BADLY. It isn't time to pick a fight with a game whose premise you don't agree with but is solidly made. RCMADIAX, let's just say it now. There are a lot more games out there that don't deserve an audience. Just because one doesn't like the content of a game, doesn't make it a bad game.
Oh if only Western peoples weren't so entirely caught up in their own sexual, physical and emotional insecurities to see the forest for the trees.

It is HILARIOUS that a game like Code of Princess featured a character so risqué that Nintendo felt obligated to place the title over her outfit in order to censor the game. And got a 9 out of 10 from this site (despite horribly inconsistent frame rates, tiny characters, sluggish animations and a half hearted homage to the brilliant in comparison Guardian Heroes.
It is HILARIOUS that the original Senran Kagura featured just as much sexual content, just as many ridiculous visual novel scenes (not nearly as well done) and just as much overt fan service. And it got an 8 out of 10.
I know you're like 22, 23 Alex, but your decision to deride a game for something other Japanese games do so much worse (something that only exists to break the 'monotony' of fast paced, side scrolling, beat-em-up combat the series actually does better than most of its contemporaries) is rather prudish.
I'm not writing this to defend the game, but to point out the glaring inconsistency in having you review a game of this nature when now 2 of your contemporaries have seen such content light heartedly and refused to let those elements affect the game's score.
It reads like an 8 out of 10, but due to your personal preference, it scores a 6. The fact of this point is what I just read isn't objective, critical journalism. In fact, it reads very personally and very subjectively. Should your views continue to be skewed in such a manner as evidenced by this review, you can count me as a former subscriber and fan of this website as a whole.

When Devil's Third tanks horribly in North America, I'll be waiting with a bag of popcorn, a Lay-Z-Boy recliner and a bottle of Boylan soda, watching people try and justify being so critical of Damien's reporting on what was obviously a big issue.
For reference though, I've been on the other side. I've seen the press e-mails that any member of the press can see, the personal e-mails detailing release dates and rescheduling and the truly personal e-mails where people are putting their careers on the line.
The fact of the matter is this: to get the news, Damien needs to be trusted. Revealing certain pieces of information, regardless of how unnecessarily upset readers get when they don't get their way, breaks that trust. Breaking that trust means that source (and other sources) will no longer confide in this and other websites' staff. It's not a convenient thing for entitled users who feel like some piece of gaming news could shape their lives dramatically, but it is a professional code of conduct that I trust Damien more for abiding in than by running wild without courtesy towards those who share these details.

With Gunstar Heroes 3D on 3DS (I'm now convinced it is not only the best 3D Classic, but the definitive version of the game) and both S&P titles easily accessible on the Wii U (yes, there is still a discount for Wii purchasers) the only Treasure classic yet to hit a Nintendo system is (wait for it, because it will NEVER happen) Radiant Silvergun, my favorite game of all-time. The 360 version was pretty good, but there was just something special about the original Saturn copy. 14 years after first picking it up, I'm more convinced than ever that Treasure will never top it, no matter what.
For anyone interested in Treasure's other releases, Dynamite Headdy, Ikaruga, Bangai-O (not Spirits) and Astro Boy: Omega Factor top the list. Guardian Heroes is kind of like the spiritual precursor to Code of Princess, but MUCH better done. If you played the latter and didn't like it, try the former and let me know what you think.
I'm more a fan of Treasure's shooters, but for any 360 owners with a side scrolling itch to scratch, definitely check it out. The multiplayer is a blast and the HD revision looks gorgeous.

Getting Dual Destinies for such a great price (it's getting ridiculous on Amazon now) was enough to convince me to pick up the DLC chapter. It's honestly one of the best in the series, as the conclusion is so wonderfully written. I never thought that Capcom could produce anything so emotionally affecting in their Ace Attorney series and yet, I was wrong.